Edge of Seventeen

Director: David Moreton David Moreton

Overview

A Eurythmics-obsessed, small-town Ohio youth comes to terms with his sexual identity and his New Wave fashion sense in this gentle coming-out drama, which is set in 1984. When closeted Sandusky teen Eric (Chris Stafford) and his best friend, Maggie (Tina Holmes), accept summer jobs in food service at the local amusement park, they befriend their lesbian manager, Angie (Lea DeLaria), and a gay college student named Rod (Andersen Gabrych). Sparks fly between the two boys, even as Maggie waits patiently in the wings for Eric's affections. Rod eventually gives Chris the first-time experience he was looking for, then promptly heads back to Ohio State, leaving the younger guy to spend his entire senior year looking for love -- and the perfect bleach job. As Eric's outsider fashions raise eyebrows with his loving parents, he learns that his frustrated pianist mom (Stephanie McVay) is going to have to get a job to help send him to study music in New York. Meanwhile, Eric ventures out to the local gay disco, a hopping joint run by none other than his old boss, Maggie, who shows him the ropes and gives him just enough rope to hang himself. Stung by a meaningless sexual experience and pining away for the otherwise involved Rod, Eric decides to sleep with the saintly Maggie. But he's too open and sensitive to pull a fast one over on her; crestfallen at his rejection and his willingness to toy with her affections, she ends the friendship, leaving Eric to confide in his mother -- and find his place in the gay community. Written by Todd Stephens, directed by David Moreton, and produced by both, Edge of Seventeen was screened as part of the American Spectrum at Sundance in 1999. Stephens would return with the similarly themed Gypsy 83 in 2001.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/02/2016
UPC:	0712267360628
Original Release:	1998
Rating:	NR
Source:	Strand Home Video
Language:	English
Time:	1:43:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Chris Stafford	Eric
Tina Holmes	Maggie
Andersen Gabrych	Rob,Actor
Stephanie McVay	Mom
Lea DeLaria	Angie
John Eby	Dad
Antonio Carriero	Andy
Jason Sheingross	Steve
Tony Maietta	Gregg
Jeff Fryer	Jonathan
Kevin J. Kelley	Chuckie
Mark Gates	Foodtown
Steve Reese Desmond	Ruby Rogers
Barbie Marie	Frieda
Craig Shepherd	Irate Customer
Doug Millon	Security Guard
Clay Van Sickle	Ed
Jason Griffiths	Scott
Jimmy Mack	Bartender
Justin Leach	Tall Blond Guy
Jeff Abramson	Dan McAllister
Don Mitri	Teacher
Mike Roth	Wrestling Jock
Adam Penton	Joe Plonsky Jr.
Tal Ben-David	Waitress
Dina Anderson	Bitchy Girl
Karen Brooks	Bitchy Girl
Shannon Constantine	Bitchy Girl
Edd Martin	Drag Queen
Gregg Long	Mr. Johnson
Ryan Florio	Randy
Twiggy	Marlene Dicktrick
Dominic Carrion	Miss Anita Mann
Jesse Adams	Drag Atrocity
Joshua Elrod	Rod's Roommate
Khalid Abdeldasoul	Grubber
Sally Law	Grubber,Grubber
Jarred J. Nichols	Grubber
Mark Jay Warschak	Grubber
Diva	As Herself
Hailee Steinfeld	Actor
Woody Harrelson	Actor
Blake Jenner	Actor
Haley Lu Richardson	Actor
Kyra Sedgwick	Actor
Hayden Szeto	Actor
Alexander Calvert	Actor
Nesta Cooper	Actor,Actor,Actor
Daniel Bacon	Actor
Lina Renna	Actor
Jena Skodje	Actor
Jeffrey Abramson	Dan McAllister
Stephanie McVey	Actor
Tom Bailey	Composer

Technical Credits

Todd Stephens

David Moreton	Director,Producer
Tim Kaltenecker	Casting
Todd Stephens	Producer,Screenwriter
Richard Whobrey	Casting
Tim Kaltnecker	Casting
Thomas O'Shea	Sound Editor
Paul Hsu	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Although it could have devolved into pointless '80s nostalgia à la The Wedding Singer or sunk into coming-out-of-the-closet platitudes, this low-budget indie successfully nails the nuances of both small-town alternateens and gay self-involvement. Most such films portray their queer protagonists as victims/heroes in a predictable moth-to-butterfly arc. But Edge of Seventeen's screenplay, by first-timer Todd Stephens, paints the coming-out process in appropriate shades of grey. Chris Stafford's gawky and reticent, yet sartorially flamboyant, Eric gets stepped on more than once as he comes to terms with his sexuality. But instead of bullies or unsympathetic parents, it's gay-bar man traps who rain on his pride parade. Along the way, Eric himself treats his eternally patient gal pal Maggie (played with tender economy by the wonderful Tina Holmes) like just another accessory, a prop with which to explore his own masculinity. Such ironies are too often lost in this type of film. The beneficent lesbian Angie and her trio of queenly helpers may seem like a convenient plot device, but Lea DeLaria invests the character with comic gusto. Stephanie McVay, meanwhile, plays a wonderful everymom, equal parts concern and compassion for her son and herself. Ane Crabtree's costumes would be a crime against fashion if they weren't such an uncannily accurate snapshot of rebellious suburbia. That Edge of Seventeen so deftly weaves its pop-culture backdrop into its plot is just another of the film's many and varied charms.

All Movie Guide - Brian J. Dillard